The Division of Rheumatology at the QEII Health Sciences Centre is fully committed to creating a future without arthritis. Which is why for every dollar our community donates to this game-changing initiative, this dedicated QEII team will give an additional dollar, up to $10,000, to fuel arthritis research – specifically the Endowed Chair in Clinical Outcomes for Rheumatology.
“1 in 4 Nova Scotians are currently living with a debilitating form of arthritis, and by 2035, over 40 per cent more people will be diagnosed,” explains Dr. John Hanly, Research Director at the QEII Division of Rheumatology. “Research is the only way we will be able to continue to improve the lives of people living with arthritis,” he says.
Patients who are living with inflammatory arthritis, lupus, vasculitis and scleroderma face daily challenges at a time of their lives which should be the most productive and joyful. “These patients and their openness to being a part of research through our Division inspire us to discover new and better ways of treating these illnesses,” says Dr. Hanly.
With ten employees in the division, whose roles range from administrative, to clinical care, to research, the team provides patient care for the majority of Nova Scotia.
“Our division is so supportive of the endowed chair and the Foundation, and we are thrilled to be able to put our money where our mouth is,” says Dr. Volodko Bakowsky, Rheumatology Division Head at the QEII.
About the Endowed Chair in Clinical Outcomes for Rheumatology
While physicians have protected time for research, they often manage their research activities alongside growing clinical duties and the needs of the patients and families they treat each day. In research, time is as important as money, therefore, an expert who spends 100 per cent of their time on research is paramount to transforming clinical practice and uncovering important breakthroughs.
The Endowed Chair in Clinical Outcomes for Rheumatology is that expert.
Funded by a community of donors, endowed research chairs at the QEII are world-renowned experts in their field who are appointed for a five-year term. These endowment funds are invested permanently, where only the interest from the investment is used to fund the long-term research position in perpetuity.
“Because we have more challenges on a daily basis with respect to clinical care, and the demands of education, it’s very important that research doesn’t get lost”. The endowed chair will create reserved time for a world-leading candidate to join the division and activate research as their full-time job, which is something Dr. Bakowsky says just couldn’t happen otherwise.
“The pursuit of excellence, drive for quality, the curiosity, inquisitiveness - it all thrives and prospers when there is research going on,” he says. “It’s a general rule that the excellence of clinical care correlates with research productivity”.
“We’ve done well because Dr. Hanly has been an incredibly effective researcher, and we’d like to not just maintain what we’re doing, but advance in our productivity and our impact,” says Dr. Bakowsky. “The moment you stop being curious, and trying to figure out the why and how, things grind to a halt”.